With Ohio, all things are possible — especially for would-be presidents
Just two men have taken the White House without winning the state since 1900. Ohioans pride themselves on going with the winner. So to no Ohioan's surprise, President George Bush's re-election was keyed to Ohio, where he was leading Democrat John Kerry with an estimated few hundred thousand votes yet to be counted.
One thing seemed clear as the sun rose yesterday: whoever won Ohio's 20 electoral votes would win the White House.
It's a state with an official motto With God, All Things are Possible which has been contested in court, and an official rock song, Hang on Sloopy, which has not. (Kerry might be deriving inspiration from each).
The state car licence plates once dubbed Ohio "The Heart of it All," but plates now declare: "Birthplace of Aviation" homage to the Wright brothers, Dayton natives who built their early planes nearby.
The Ohio quarter also features aviation, including the image of an astronaut, a reminder that Neil Armstrong, first to walk on the moon, and John Glenn, first to orbit the Earth, are sons of Ohio. For a while, Ohio was pumping out presidents, with seven in a half-century span that began with Ulysses S Grant in 1869 and ran to Warren G Harding, elected in 1920.
It likes its symbols. It has appointed an official state beverage (tomato juice), reptile (black racer snake), insect (ladybug) and bicentennial bridge (Blaine Hill Bridge in Belmont County).
More popular: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, on Lake Erie.
Politics in the state also has changed.
Just more than a decade ago, it was friendly territory for Democrats. They held most statewide offices, and two legends Glenn and Howard Metzenbaum represented the state in the US Senate.
Today, Republicans hold every statewide, non-judicial office, and they control the state Legislature.
Still, the state is often up for grabs when it comes to the race for president.
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